This invention relates to a strand guiding means for a continuous plant, which strand guiding means comprises oppositely arranged rollers, preferably rollers composed of a plurality of parts, that support and guide the strand. The stationary axes or driven shafts of the rollers are supported by roller carriers and are secured to these carriers by holding means.
In the usual continuous casting plants, the rollers defining the gap through which the casting is guided, are mounted on roller carriers and these roller carriers are adjustable to a certain distance relative to one another. However, it may be necessary, in particular in the case of rollers composed of a plurality of parts, to adjust individual rollers relative to their neighbouring rollers, independently of an adjustment of the roller carriers. Such individual adjustment may be required whenever a strand guiding roller does not occupy its pre-determined position because of faulty construction or positioning inaccuracies that occur whenever a roller is exchanged after prolonged use. Due to the wear of the bearings and of the roller surfaces, neighbouring rollers eventually lie on a strand guiding path which corresponds to a casting gap wider than the pre-determined casting gap. A newly inserted roller would form a smaller casting gap and, in order to protect the newly inserted roller from overload and the hot strand from unnecessary deformations that would lead to a deterioration in quality, it should be possible to adjust the roller to the position of its neighbouring rollers that have already been subjected to wear.
It may, moreover, be necessary to adjust the casting gap to be slightly conical along the strand guiding means, i.e. to slightly reduce the distance between opposite, subsequently arranged rollers, without adjusting the roller carriers of the construction as such.